Notes

Zechariah 8 records ten blessings, each one beginning with the words "This is what the LORD Almighty says: … "Calvin Seerveld (PHH 22) highlighted five of those blessings in this 1984 partially rhymed versification of Zechariah 8:2-8 for the Psalter Hymnal The blessings pertain to Jerusalem, especially as an encouragement to the Jewish remnant to rebuild the temple, but they are also messianic, so their true fulfillment occurs in the coming of Christ and his kingdom.

Liturgical Use:
Advent; occasions when songs of encouragement and blessing are appropriate; services of renewal; services focusing on Christ's second coming. Seerveld suggests that the song is especially suitable for God's children in urban settings.

Tune

Dale Grotenhuis (PHH 4) composed THOMAS in 1986 for the Psalter Hymnal. In contrast to the composer's typical choral style of songwriting, THOMAS is intended for unison singing. Grotenhuis named the tune after his youngest son.
--Psalter Hymnal Handbook